The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-04
The Prison Problem.

The second annual report of Carroll ID.
Wright, Commissioner of the National Blu
reau of Labor Statistics, which was issued
few days ago, is attracting considerable
attention. 1t deals with the prison problem
at considerable length, and furnishes Some
very interesting statistics with regard to it,
but its suggestions will hardly be regarded
as furnishing a satisfactory solution of that
problem. As the Legislature of this State
is inquiring into the charges of abuses under
the lease system, and is considering the adj
visibility of establishing reformatory III
stitution for youthful convicts, ii might
find in the report some information which
might be of use to il.
The Commissioner gives the result Of his
investigation Of the prison systems of
all the States, and reaches the conclusion
that what is known as the hand labor pub
lie account system is best calculated to give
satisfaction. Under tlis system the indus
tries of a prison are carried on for the bene-
fit of the State. All the articles are manu-
featured without the use of power machin-
cry, hand machinery and tools alone being
allowed. The purpose of shutting out
between free labor and prison labor.
The Commissioner admits that this hand
labor public account system will not make
n prison self-sustaining, but thinks that I'M
der proper management it will relieve tax
payers of a great part of the burden of
maintaining convicts. While it might be
satisfactory to those engaged in manufac-
turing the same kind of articles manufac-
tured by convicts, it would hardly meet
with general approval. The pre-
vailing idea is that convicts
should not only work, but that they
should earn enough to cover all the expenses
of supporting and guarding them. There
are very few States in which they do this,
but the system which comes the nearest TO
doing it, and which at the same time is hui
name, and has reforinatory features, is GER
tain to be the most widely adopted. There
is a very strong objection on the part of
taxpayers to bear the burdens of supporting
criminals after having paid the cost of Sc
curing their conviction.
The financial results of the different sys-
tens vary greatly The lease system, which
is in operation in seven Southern States,
shows a profit. The contract system pays
IS per cent of the expenses Of the prisons,
the public account system 81 per cent, the
piece-price system % per cent, and the
mixed system ~ per cent From this state
ment it will be seen that the convicts are
what might be termed tax-eaters under all
the systems except the lease system.
The showing made in this report, consid-
cred in connection with the objection of the
people of this State to any higher rate of
taxation, is calculated TO lead to the conclu-
sion that the lease system will not be abol-
ished in Georgia at present, and that no very
radical notifications of it are likely to be
made. There win no doubt be strong
effort to remedy abuses committed under it,
because the people intend that the convicts
shall be treated humanely, but, strong as
the conviction is that there ought to be q
reformatory institution for youthful con-
victs, it is pretty safe to say that there will
be no prison legislation that win materially
increase taxation.